Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Brian Binggeli addresses the proposed school closures during a meeting last week in Viera.

Sunday, I pointed to the absurdity for taxpayers in having to close four public schools in Brevard while paying to launch new charter schools, including one in Viera.

Most ironic, I said, was the proposed closure of Gardendale Elementary on Merritt Island - an A-rated magnet school with a teaching model in which parents believe.

But that's not the only development that left me "stumped."

Taxpayers also may endure the closing of Sea Park Elementary in South Patrick Shores - an A-rated but under-attended school - while being forced to fund the opening of another charter school in Palm Bay. There, low student demand and poor results recently doomed Patriot Charter School.

Monday, Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Brian Binggeli called to (ahem) clarify that different government bodies are driving those conflicting decisions.

The Brevard County School Board reviews applications for completeness but is barred by the state from blocking charter schools from opening and receiving public funds for teaching and operations, Binggeli said. In fact, Brevard rejected the opening of the Palm Bay charter school, only to be overruled by the state Board of Education in Tallahassee. That panel, appointed by the governor, has made "school choice" a top priority.

"If they meet the application requirements, we have no standing to keep them closed," Binggeli told me, adding this critique: "When you told our community that we could have denied these charter schools, you could have closed your laptop at that point and gone unicorn hunting."

That's not exactly what I told readers.

But Binggeli's explanation of the seemingly conflicting policies was interesting, so I'll share it.

Opening schools ?

From the state's perspective, charter schools exist to offer families an alternative to regular public schools - usually with an innovative teaching technique or a special focus. The new Viera Charter School will emphasize science and math.

Typically, private investors build charter-school campuses, while the state provides funding that otherwise would have followed students to their normal schools.

It sounds like a wash, but the district must continue to fund the libraries, attendance offices, cafeterias and other shared facilities the students would have used at their old schools. So taxpayers get to fund those things at both.

The school board approved the Viera school's satisfactory application two years ago, but its organizers delayed opening a year to secure financing.

As for attendance (which doesn't matter to the state), Binggeli says it will be in a growing area where regular schools are nearing capacity. It will enroll grades K-7 the first year and grow to grades K-8.

I wish them the best, even if the timing looks absurd from a distance.

? Closing others

At the same time, Brevard Public Schools must cut more than $8.9 million from its budget following the expiration of an emergency property-tax levy next month and the November failure of a referendum for a half-cent sales tax. It must shift millions more from funds for teaching and operations to pay for repairs at schools that remain open.

Closing four schools would save $3 million to $4 million, sparing cuts to student curriculum countywide. From a planner's perspective, Gardendale Elementary on Merritt Island is a good choice of schools to put on the list, Binggeli said.

First, it is at the center of a "cluster" of five other elementaries on Merritt Island. They, too, are highly rated schools with specialized teaching programs. But Gardendale is the smallest and has the highest potential repair bills if it remains open.

Second, combined enrollment at the five schools is at 71 percent of capacity. If consolidated, enrollment at the remaining four Merritt Island schools would be at 87 percent - still on the low side for the district.